How to clean your PS4 (Original, Slim or Pro)
Why are we making this guide? Sometimes when people wall mount their PS4 the dust shifts and causes the fan to run noisily. We’ve made this guide to help people maintain the health of their console, enjoy!
What you’ll need:
- Tamperproof bit set (TR 9 Torx security bit)
- Screw driver
- Can of air
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Original PS4 Body:
This section is for the PS4 Chassis that was released in September of 2015. The older version of the console has guides up everywhere. We decided to feature the newer PlayStation 4 model CUH-1200 in this guide. The console has a little bit different of an assembly so this guide will be helpful for those of you with the new build style.
Step 1. Remove the single screw on the back
There will be a single screw underneath a shiny sticker at the center of the console, on the same 'layer' as the power port. Remove that sticker to reveal a 5-point star tamperproof screw. You’re going to want to tamper with that bad boy; which will void your warranty (which if you’ve built up enough dust to need to clean your PS4, it is probably expired anyways.)
Step 2. Lift off the bottom cover
Take off the bottom cover. This is tougher than it sounds! This panel is really on there, the best way to do it is pull up very hard on each side of the cover, near the back of the console. You might have to experiment with where putting pressure makes it easiest to remove. You can crack the bottom plate doing this, so be careful! It will come off without any damage when done carefully.
Step 3. Remove the circled screws
Although it’s tempting to just stop now that you can see the fan, don't. You’re just a few screws away from getting access to the heat sink. Unscrew the 2 Philips head screws on the metal plate, and the 3 five-point star tamperproof screws. This will let you pull out the power supply.
Step 4. Remove the power supply
Sneak your fingers between the case and the power supply and pull out the power supply. Keep the power supply completely level while doing this to avoid yanking out the power supply cord. If you’re careful there won't be any issue removing it without ever having to unplug that supply cord.
Step 5. Cleaning
Now you have full access to the essential cooling elements of the PS4. Spray air through the fan blades, but also through the heat sink (metal grate looking part) which was just exposed by removing the power supply. Once it's all put back together you should notice your PS4 running noticeably quieter.
PS4 Slim:
Step 1: Remove the top cover
There are no screws so the cover comes off fairly easily exposing the fan right away. You could just stop here, which is great for a quick cleaning but, after a while you’re just blowing more dust into the console. We kept going.
Step 2: Unscrew all of these
There are a lot of screws here. Once you remove all the screws circled in the image above you will be able to lift up the metal cover giving you additional access to remove dust caught up in the heat sink.
Step 3 Tilt up the interior cover
It won't be possible to completely remove the interior cover without further disassembly. All you will be able to do at this point is tilt this interior top cover up for better cleaning access, not completely remove the cover.
Step 4 Cleaning
With this access, take a microfiber cloth or can of air and deep clean the console's cooling system. Be very careful with the exposed parts. Make sure nothing falls into the area protected by the cover, as you move the system there is enough space for stray objects (say a small screw) to shift causing damage to your PS4. So what we're trying to say is we would not recommend eating Cheetos while doing this. Once you've put everything back together you should notice the PS4 fan running quite a bit quieter.
PS4 Pro:
Step 1 Remove the top cover
This top cover is designed to be removed, but it is not easy. You may have to experiment with where putting pressure most easily allows you pull it off.
Step 2 Cleaning
That’s it! You have better access to the fan in this build than the ps4 slim. The heat sink runs parallel to the fan in a different way than the other models and requires a decent amount of disassembly to access. If you want to deep clean down to the heat sink you’re going to have to break down nearly the entire console, this guide would be more suited to your needs.
PlayStation has thankfully improved the ease of cleaning with the newer models. We hope this guide helps you maintain your console ensuring it lives a long happy life!
- Tags: Gaming Tech + AV Tips + Hacks